SEPTEMBER PEW POLL FINDS OBAMA OPENS DOUBLE DIGIT LEAD OVER ROMNEY AMONG CATHOLICS............

In June, President Obama held a within the margin of error, statistically tied lead of two percent lead over Governor Romney, among Catholic voters, 49%; to 47%;, according to the Pew Poll.  Now in September, the Pew Reearch Center for the People and the Press, shows President Obama is now the preference of Catholic voters in September, by fifteen percent edge over Governor Romney, leading by 54%; to 39%; in polling completed September 12th-16th.  The opening up of Obama's lead over Romney among Catholics during the summer is attributed not only to a continuing increase in support for re-electing the President from Latino, and African Americans, but with more support from White Catholics than Obama has been receiving this year.  President Obama is now tied with Governor Romney, as the preference of White Catholic voters, despite the difficulty he has had this year with the U.S. Bishops over Contraception Insurance coverage, and Governor Romney's selection of Representative Paul Ryan, a conservative Catholic, as his Vice Presidential running mate.  That Barack Obama makes such an improvement among White Catholics now less than two months before the General Election is striking, given although he won 54% of the total Catholic vote against Senator John McCain, four years ago, McCain won the White Catholic voters.  Catholics are crucial voters in several of the nine swing States this year, which may also explain the leads the President is now holding in the swing States.  John Allen, Vatican correspondent for the 'National Catholic Reporter' newspaper and the Vatican analyst for CNN, note in response to the Pew Reearch September findings among Catholic voters, that one other poll gives Romney a narrow lead with them and he points out support for Romney is greater among Catholics who are weekly Massgoers.  Allen sums up saying, "That either shows the more practicing you are, the more pro-Romney (anti-Obama) you are",..."or it says something about the political message Catholics are getting in their parishes these days".  I offer the opinion that the American Bishops opposition to the Health and Human Services Depart Mandate on Contraception, and the Fortnight For Freedom, they organized in parishes throughout the country this summer, may be viewed by a cross-section of Catholic voters  of all catergories, as being too political.  These Pew Research Poll findings with only weeks left in the campaign, indicates unless a Romney turnaround in Catholics preference takes place, Obama may win the the majority of Catholic votes this year, which will be a political irony, given Senator John Kerry, who is Catholic, did not win it against President George W. Bush in 2004............Fr. Troy